


Let's Have a Baby

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-04-01
Updated: 2003-04-01
Packaged: 2019-05-30 08:58:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15093461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Josh wants to make a pact with Donna





	Let's Have a Baby

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Let's Have A Baby**

**by:** Jennifer 

**Category/Pairing:** Josh/Donna  
**Rating: YTEEN**  
**Disclaimer:** They're not mine and try as I might, they never will be.  You can feel free to sue me, but it won't be worth the effort - I don't have anything you want.  TRUST ME!  
**Notes:** Not sure why I wrote this... especially since I said I was going to take a break from it.  Maybe this was just sitting inside me screaming to get out!  Who knows. <

Donna walked into Josh's office where she expected to find Josh working on the education bill for the fifty-sixth time this week.  Instead, she found him sitting with his back to the door staring off into space in the general direction of the window.

"Josh," Donna said as she approached.

"Yeah?" Josh asked without turning around to face her.

"I thought you were working on the education bill," she said attempting to straighten the mess, which had become Josh's desk.  She received no response.  "Josh?"

"Yeah," he said again, turning to face her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he responded.

"Josh, you were totally lost out the window... what's going on?" she asked with trepidation.

Josh tried to shake off her question and said, "Nothing."

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he stated turning back around to face the window.

Donna headed for the door and closed it, "Okay Josh, spill it... what's wrong."

"Nothing," he tried again.  And she sat in silence with him.  She knew he would tell her eventually and that she would just have to wait him out.  

Josh knew that she didn't move from her seat across from him and just used the silence between them to formulate his thoughts so that he could put them into words.  After about 5 minutes, he asked, "Do you ever think about having kids?"

"What?" Donna asked, caught off guard by the question.

"Do you think about having kids?" he asked again turning his chair back around towards her.

"Sure I do.  Why?"

"I don't know.  It's just... since I've been working on this bill, I've tried to think about the kind of education I would want my kids to have..." he trailed off.

"Uh-huh?" she questioned not knowing where he was going with this.

"I'm 42, Donna," he stated.

She smiled at him finally getting where he was going with this and said, "Yeah, but it's not like your biological clock is ticking."

"No, but I want to be able to enjoy my kids while I'm young and I'm getting to the age where I won't be able to do that for long.  Oh, and did I mention that there's the whole thing with not even being married yet?" he said.

"Well, you don't have to be married to have kids, ya know," Donna stated.

"I know, it's just not how I pictured it," he answered.  "Besides, I'm not sure I could do that.  I mean... I wouldn't want to have to do it alone.  Not just because it would be hard, but because I think I'd want to share it with someone.  You know?  Like when my daughter takes her first steps, I don't want to be the only one there.  And when my son makes his first little league hit..."

She sat staring at him; surprised by the things he was talking about.  They'd talked about the future so many times but it always involved things like domestic politics, economics, and foreign policy, that this conversation seemed surreal to her.

"I guess I could do it if I had a kid with my best friend," he added absent-mindedly.  "You know, someone that you really COULD share it with.  Someone you'd WANT to share it with," he finished.

"You could," she stated in agreement with him. 

He looked over at her and peered into her eyes.  So much so, that Donna almost felt as if he was looking right through her until he said it.

"Let's have a baby," Josh stated.

"WHAT?" she asked in disbelief.

"I don't mean right now, of course, but someday.  If neither one of us gets married soon after this administration... let's have a baby."

"Josh, have you lost your mind?" she asked.

"Think about it Donna," he said getting up from behind his desk and coming around in front of her.  He kneeled down and took both her hands in his.  "It's perfect.  You're my best friend and I can't think of anyone that I'd want to share that with more than you," he said sincerely.

She stared at him, her eyes wide in disbelief.  "You're serious," she stated.

He waited a long moment, looked into her eyes, and said, "Yes, I am."

She closed her eyes, trying to take in what had happened in the last few minutes and then she slowly stood.  He released her hands and stood with her.  "Josh..." she began, turning away from him.

"Oh God... you don't want to.  I don't know what I was thinking... I mean," he started rambling.

"I didn't say that I don't want to, Josh."  She turned back around to face him, but from across the room.  "I just... I don't think I can be expected to give you an answer right now.  I mean... we're talking about a baby here.  That's big Josh!" she said.

"You're right.  I'm sorry.  Hey, it's not like we have to decide right now anyway.  We've got three and a half more years to figure it out, right?" he asked.

"Right," she stated hesitantly.  And they just stood at opposite ends of his office staring at one another until Donna said, "I umm... I just came in to say that I was leaving for the day."

"Okay," he replied.

  
Two weeks passed and things between Josh and Donna were strained to say the least.  It's not so much that there was a lack of banter or teasing or mocking, there was plenty of that when they were in the same general vicinity.  But, THAT was the problem.  They'd both decided to try the avoidance tactic.  They were rarely in the same room at the same time, and when they were, they tried desperately to never be alone.  The situation wore on both of them and Donna decided it was time to confront it.  She knocked gently on his office door.

"Yeah," he said.

She put her hand on the doorknob, took deep breath, and let herself into the office closing the door behind her.  "We need to talk Josh," she stated.

He let out a huge sigh, put down the memo he was reading and said, "I know."

"It's just that..." she began and then paused, "you put this thing out there and it's a REALLY big thing Josh, and now... it's all I can think about."

That wasn't what Josh was expecting.  He wasn't expecting her to be so calm.  In fact, it scared him.  "I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"Don't... don't apologize, Josh," she said in a frustrated tone.

"Donna, you don't have to do this.  And, please don't give me the `You'll find someone special to share that with' bullshit speech," he stated somewhat angrily turning his chair away from her.  "I put you in a very awkward position, Donna, and I'm genuinely sorry.  Now, can we forget that I ever brought it up?" he asked to the window.

"You will, ya know... find someone special," she said sadly.

"I thought I already had," he sated solemnly but somewhat bitterly and she turned and walked through the door only to return less than a minute later to find him in the same position.

Again she closed the door to his office behind her but this time with a slight slam and began to speak.  "Okay... you were honest enough to come to me and ask me to do this.  I think I owe it to you to explain why I can't."

"Donna," he said swiveling his chair around, "you don't have to do this."

"No, Josh.  I really do," she stated resolutely.  "I want all of the things you described.  I want to watch my daughter take her first steps and my son make his first hit in little league and I want to share that with someone.  Hell, I even want to share it with YOU," she said raising her voice.  

He looked at her in utter confusion.   She could see it written on his face and she brought her tone back down.

She sighed, "I just don't want to do it as the `friend' you decided to have a baby with'.  I want to do those things with the man that I'm married to, the man that I'm in love with."  She looked down at her feet unable to look him in the eye.  "Do you get what I'm saying, Josh?" she asked.

"But you just said that you DO want to share those things with me?" he questioned and she brought her chin up and looked him square in the eye hoping to convey her meaning.  It was sinking in.  He tilted his head and opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, but nothing came out.  He tried a few times and still... nothing.

Finally, he found the power of speech. "Really?" he asked quietly moving towards her and giving her a slight smile.

"Really," she said giving him a small smile of her own.

"You do realize that you're talking about a whole lot more than just a baby, right?" he asked.

"I am aware of that, yes Joshua," she stated.

He reached out and took her hand in his and after a long moment, pulled her close to him into a sweet but romantic embrace.  They held each other in silence for what seemed, to them both, like an eternity when Josh finally said sadly, "You know we can't do anything about... this, while we both work here."

"I know," she whispered as they continued to hold each other.

"Donna," he said.

"Hmmm?" she said into his shoulder

Josh turned his head and smiled into the hair that was covering her ear and whispered, "I wanna have babies with you."

She turned her head to face him and placed a short, soft kiss on his lips and said, "I wanna have babies with you too Josh."

~~~~  
Feedback, and sunshine on my shoulder make me happy!


End file.
